My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 622 Reincarnation
In a sense, this is a unique advantage that time travelers have.

—Time travelers never dream of dynasties lasting for thousands of years!

Even the most powerful indigenous emperors, like Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han, couldn't help but dream of their achievements and how they could help their dynasties last for generations.

Even the First Emperor of Qin, who reigned for millennia, firmly believed until his death that the Qin Empire he founded could be passed down from him, the First Emperor, to the Second Emperor, the Third Emperor, and even to a thousand generations, without end.

However, the truth is that the Qin Dynasty only lasted for two generations. By the time of Ziying, the third emperor, it was no longer the unified Qin Empire or Qin Dynasty, but had regressed to the 'Qin State' of the Warring States period.

For example, Emperor Taizu of Han (Liu Bang), Emperor Taizong of Han (Liu Heng), Emperor Jing of Han (Liu Qi), and Emperor Wu of Han (Liu Che) – especially Emperor Wu of Han (Liu Che) must have dreamed of the Han Dynasty lasting for ten thousand years.

Ultimately, the Han dynasty was fraught with difficulties, and even with Emperor Guangwu's restoration of the Han dynasty, the two Han dynasties only lasted for a little over four hundred years.

To be frank—even in the later, new era, a certain eagle that once dominated the blue planet began to show signs of national demise just 160 years after its founding.

Taking all of this into account, it is not difficult to conclude that in any civilization at different stages, a dynasty will gradually reveal its systemic shortcomings after two hundred years of establishment.

To be more specific, the systemic flaws that were temporarily concealed during the founding period due to the wise and insightful founding emperor and the elite founding ministers will gradually become apparent over time.

Emperors, from being wise and insightful at the beginning of their reigns, gradually become mediocre and conservative, and finally incompetent.

The officials will gradually become selfish and self-serving, and finally greedy and wicked, starting from their shrewdness and excellence at the beginning of the dynasty.

Meanwhile, as the ruling class as a whole degenerated, the population continued to grow, resources became increasingly scarce, and distribution became increasingly unfair.

About two hundred years after the dynasty was established, it could no longer produce a qualified emperor or find outstanding officials, and the lower classes began to live in dire straits.
Social conflicts intensified until an unexpected spark ignited the entire dynasty like a powder keg.

With the explosion of gunpowder, the dynasty collapsed and the world descended into chaos.

Then came different versions of "Qin lost its deer, and the whole world chased after it," which were repeated over and over again.

The chaos ended with unification, a new dynasty was established, and a new group of founding emperors and meritorious officials, with a significantly reduced population and a completely reorganized social order, began the next cycle.

All of this has been broadly summarized by later generations as the core essence and driving logic of the historical phenomenon of the three-hundred-year dynastic cycle.

—It is not said that after three hundred years, a dynasty will suddenly become incompetent and corrupt, and then collapse.
Instead, over these three hundred years, the dynasty gradually decayed and the people gradually became disillusioned;

The nobles became increasingly greedy, the bureaucrats increasingly corrupt, the emperors increasingly incompetent, and the people increasingly impoverished.

Around three hundred years after the dynasty was established, the common people could no longer endure it and, facing death, vented all the pent-up frustration and hardship accumulated over the past century onto the corrupt dynasty, using their own lives as fuel to give birth to a new dynasty.

Three hundred years later, the new dynasty also decayed, and another group of people rose up in rebellion, shouting, "Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?", thus beginning a new cycle...

Such lessons and experiences could not be easily summarized by the native emperors and bureaucrats of feudal dynasties.

At least for now, the Han emperors, officials, and ministers who only experienced the fall of the Qin Dynasty after its second generation cannot summarize the three-hundred-year dynastic cycle from the Qin case.

Even the lesson of Qin was not profound enough for the Han dynasty!
In the eyes of the Han dynasty, whether it was Emperor Gaozu, Empress Lü, Emperor Taizong, or Emperor Jing, the Qin dynasty only lasted two generations and could only have two reasons.

First, after unifying the country, Qin Shi Huang paid too little attention to the people's livelihood and even completely ignored it, which led to strong antagonism between the lower classes and the ruling class.

Furthermore, the failure to purge the remnants of the former six states allowed them to seize the opportunity presented by the saying "the world has suffered under Qin for too long," and after the death of the First Emperor and the ascension of the Second Emperor, they quickly launched a counter-purification campaign against the Qin Empire!
Secondly, it was because the First Emperor took too big a step in abolishing the enfeoffment system and failed to appease the founding fathers of the Qin Empire, resulting in these elite classes not being able to deeply integrate with the emerging Qin Empire.

The combination of these two factors ultimately led to the Qin Dynasty's demise after only two generations.

If any one of them were missing, Qin would not have perished—especially not after only two generations!

As for the visions of these local emperors for the future of the Han dynasty, they varied greatly depending on the circumstances of their respective reigns, each with its own distinct personal characteristics.

—During the reign of Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang, the Han dynasty was in dire need of rebuilding, with nine out of ten households empty.

With the heir, Emperor Xiaohui (Liu Ying), being weak and the Lü clan, his maternal relatives, eyeing the throne with covetous intent, Emperor Taizu (Liu Gaozu) didn't really have much confidence to say that the Han dynasty wouldn't follow in the footsteps of the Qin dynasty, which perished after only two generations.

The idea of ​​deposing Liu Ying and establishing Liu Ruyi as heir apparent was a risky attempt made by Emperor Taizu Gaozu under this background.

But in the end, Emperor Gaozu of Han reluctantly discovered that even if establishing Liu Ying as emperor would lead to the rise of the Lü clan as powerful relatives, at least it would prevent the Han dynasty from dying after only two generations.

Even if the Lü clan wanted to seize the Han dynasty, it would never have happened during Liu Ying's reign and Empress Lü's lifetime.

However, if Liu Ruyi were to be installed as emperor, then not only during the reign of Liu Ying, the second emperor of the Han dynasty, but even during the reign of Liu Bang, the founding emperor, the Han dynasty would face many unexpected complications and unpredictable changes.

As for what happened after Liu Ruyi ascended the throne, that goes without saying.

Therefore, in the eyes of Emperor Gaozu, his successor Liu Ying was a troublemaker, and the Lü clan was too powerful to be controlled.
Therefore, the only thing Emperor Gaozu was certain of was that the Han dynasty would last until the third generation, that is, the generation of Liu Ying's son.

What happens next is anyone's guess.

—Either the Lü clan succeeds in seizing power, or the world descends into chaos, or Liu Ying's son manages to resolve everything and ensure the smooth continuation of the Han dynasty…

Just like the last words Emperor Gao said when Empress Lü asked him about the candidates for the next few prime ministers before her death;
—What comes after that is beyond the comprehension of our generation.

After discussing Emperor Gaozu, the next topic is Empress Lü.

Even today, based on later generations' understanding of history and the information he received after time travel, Liu Rong still believes that Empress Lü herself had no intention of 'replacing Liu with Lü and usurping the Han throne'.

Initially, Empress Lü's thoughts were most likely just to preserve her son Liu Ying's throne and her own transcendent status as the "founding empress" and "first empress dowager of the Han Dynasty".

Later, her son became dissolute, and Empress Lü, resenting his lack of ambition, could only take over the care of the Han dynasty for him.

Then, her son died young, and the situation slipped out of Empress Lü's control. She had no choice but to support the young Emperor Liu Gong and continue to oversee the Han dynasty for the Liu family. By the time Emperor Liu Gong also rebelled, forcing Empress Lü to depose and imprison him, she was likely already mentally exhausted.

—Originally, he wanted to help his son secure the throne, but his son's inaction led to his own demise.
Suppressing her grief, she thought that helping her grandson secure the throne would be acceptable, but then her grandson insisted on courting disaster again...

After Emperor Shao Liu Hong ascended the throne, Empress Lü, who had seen off three generations of emperors—husband, son, and grandson—in succession, probably had no time to look forward to the future of the Han dynasty.

The Second Emperor, Liu Ying, was already thirty years old before reaching adulthood, and the country was in turmoil due to his young age;
Liu Gong, the third emperor, was already a child emperor at the age of 18!

When Liu Hong ascended the throne, he was another child emperor. With three consecutive generations of young rulers and a state in turmoil, Empress Lü no longer had time to dream of how many generations the Han dynasty could last.

Especially on her deathbed, Empress Lü was preoccupied with entrusting military power to the Lü clan, so that they could either support the young Emperor Liu Hong or ensure the safety of her family.

Unexpectedly, before Empress Lü's body was even cold, the Lü clan decided to strike first, but were suppressed by the powerful ministers who were allied with the emperor from within and without, further narrowing the path for the Lü clan as a maternal relative in the future.

Then came Emperor Taizong Xiaowen, who succeeded to the throne after usurping the throne and pretended to be weak while actually being powerful.

In the early years of his reign, Emperor Taizong Xiaowen was probably preoccupied with his own survival.

Once the survival problem is solved, the next step is to outlive Chen Ping, get rid of Zhou Bo, and seize power.

After gaining absolute power, Emperor Taizong Xiaowen, in high spirits, wanted to emulate his father Liu Bang's feat of "hunting with the Xiongnu at Pingcheng" and prepared to fight the Xiongnu to eliminate the external threat once and for all!
As a result, Liu Xingju, the King of Jibei, rebelled and destroyed the Han Dynasty's backyard. Emperor Taizong Xiaowen finally calmed down and formulated the policy of "pacifying the interior before resisting the external" for the Han Dynasty. In order to win the decisive battle against the Xiongnu, the first step was to stabilize the power of the internal vassal states.

Therefore, during the next twenty years, Emperor Taizong Xiaowen made demands of the Xiongnu at will and compromised with them.

As for the increasingly disrespectful relatives and lords of the Kanto clan, he adopted a "let them go" attitude, as if watching them rise to prominence, entertain guests, and eventually see them fall.

At the same time, while reducing taxes and allowing the people to recuperate and live in peace, thus gaining the sincere support of the people, he also prepared his forces to deal with the inevitable rebellion of the Guandong clansmen and lords.

Until his deathbed, Emperor Taizong Xiaowen left his last words to his successor, Emperor Xiaojing Liu Qi: "There are priorities in matters, and Zhou Yafu can be appointed as general."

On his deathbed, he left his successor a general who could fight battles, rather than a minister who could govern the country and ensure its stability.
This is enough to show that, in Emperor Taizong Xiaowen's view, the Han dynasty was bound to go to war during the reign of Emperor Jing Liu Qi.

Moreover, it is a tough battle that will be difficult to win, requiring a skilled general to be specifically reserved for it.

In addition, the priority of the external threat of the Xiongnu had long been placed after the internal troubles of the imperial relatives and princes by Emperor Taizong himself.
In other words, the phrase "There are priorities in matters, and Zhou Yafu can be appointed as general" can be directly translated as: After my death, there will be a war in the Guandong region.
Send Zhou Yafu; he can win.

As for the future of the Han dynasty, Emperor Taizong may have had some wild thoughts.

—After all, I am a wise ruler who is revered by the world as a 'living saint';

Crown Prince Qi has finally matured over the years and is at least a capable ruler who can maintain the status quo.

If the Guandong region can be assessed, then the problem of the Xiongnu can be resolved a few decades later.
My Han family should be able to continue for another ten or twenty generations, right?

Like Liu Rong, Emperor Xiaowen of the Taizong Dynasty, Liu Heng, was also unable to be certain whether his descendants, especially those three or five generations later, would produce fools who would insist on becoming incompetent rulers.

However, Emperor Taizong Xiaowen believed that his reputation as a "living saint" and the blessings he bestowed upon the people should be enough to support his children and grandchildren and earn them the greatest possible forgiveness from the people.

that's the truth.

Historically, during the later years of Emperor Wu of Han's reign, the country suffered repeated defeats in foreign wars, yet the people continued to fight despite these setbacks. Coupled with the protracted conflict in the Western Regions, the people of the land endured immense suffering.

When the peasants had no way to survive and were forced to rise up in rebellion, determined to overthrow the rule of Emperor Wu of Han, this "tyrant," the first imperial edict of self-reproach in Chinese history extinguished this peasant uprising.

The "Luntai Edict of Self-Reproach" was Emperor Wu of Han's most sincere apology to the people, ensuring that the emperor's dignity and image were not affected.

Ultimately, what prompted the people to forgive Emperor Wu of Han's absurd and cruel behavior over the years was not the Emperor Wu's tactful apology in the "Luntai Edict of Self-Reproach".

Rather, it was the thought that arose in the minds of many people on the streets that day: "No matter what, he was still the grandson of Emperor Taizong Xiaowen..."

Only the sons and grandsons of Emperor Taizong could do something like "the emperor apologizing to the people and blaming himself";
For Emperor Taizong's sake, let's just let it go...

Even until the end of the Western Han Dynasty, hundreds of years later,
The peasant uprising army, tormented by the corrupt dynasty and suffering from widespread poverty, did not disturb the mausoleum of Emperor Taizong Xiaowen even after capturing Chang'an.

Some say this is because Emperor Xiaowen of the Taizong Dynasty was a rare example of a Han emperor who had a "simple burial" and had few valuable burial items.

But it is obvious that the mere fact that there were "no valuable burial goods" was absolutely not enough to make the rebel army, who had already disregarded life and death and were determined to overthrow the Liu Han dynasty, detain the tomb of a Han emperor, beg for forgiveness, and then bow and leave.

Even though Emperor Taizong Xiaowen's legacy could not save the Western Han Dynasty from collapse, it still preserved a last shred of dignity for himself.

Even so, Emperor Taizong probably never imagined that the Liu Han dynasty could last for thousands of generations.

Emperor Taizong Xiaowen was always a pragmatist.

Those who can personally roll up their sleeves and trousers to work in the fields are unlikely to have unrealistic ambitions like the First Emperor, who fantasized about a thousand generations of prosperity.

However, the fact that we dare not even dream of it for thousands of years does not mean that the precedent of the Zhou Dynasty lasting for eight hundred years is unimaginable.

Unlike later generations who revered Confucius as a sage, the only universally acknowledged sage in the Han Dynasty was Duke Zhou, Ji Dan.

Emperor Taizong Xiaowen, as the "living sage" in the eyes of the people, inevitably placed himself on the same level as the Duke of Zhou.

King Zhou pulled his chariot for eight hundred steps, and the Zhou dynasty ruled for eight hundred years.
The Han dynasty also produced a 'sage,' so why couldn't the Han dynasty enjoy eight hundred years of rule?
This was perhaps Emperor Taizong Xiaowen's most cherished and ideal vision for the future of the Han dynasty.

(End of this chapter)